Of Roses and Chocolate Boxes
by Gemini-Victoria
Summary: Remus is too old, too poor and much too inflicted with lycanthropy. Tonks is too beautiful, too sweet and much too young. It would never work.... Right? RL/NT Valentines day fluff featuring: kissing,roses, and Matchmaking!Dumbledore please read and review


_A/N: Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!!! please read this bit of fluff and REVIEW!!!! Lots of chocolate and Roses to my awesome beta Sockpuppet82!!!!!!_

_Tonks ran like mad through the Forbidden Forest. She couldn't remember how or why she was there. Was she chasing someone or was somebody chasing her? She didn't know that, either. The only thing she knew was that she was running. Suddenly, she stopped, stumbling to a halt. _

_Breathing heavily, she looked around. Out of nowhere, a beautiful wolf appeared. Tonks stared at it for nearly a minute. She wasn't scared, and he didn't look mean. In fact … the wolf was scared … he was looking up at her with big eyes … sad eyes, so sad! _

_She felt the urge to comfort the wolf, to hug it, but before she even moved, it rushed away, disappearing between the dark trees._

Tonks awoke suddenly, in the middle of the night, panting, her body covered with sweat. Shivering, she got up and drifted to her window, looking outside. The sky was so black and the moon was so big … it was the full moon …

Without being able to restrain herself, she thought about Remus and sighed painfully. Countless were the number of times she had given her heart to him, and countless were the number of times he had refused it. Restraining a sob, she got back into bed and threw a blanket over her head, covering up the world.

* * * * *

On the morning of the February 14th, Remus Lupin woke up with a terrible headache.

In fact, his whole body was aching. With a small moan of pain, he got up and proceeded to the bathroom. After a cold shower he got dressed and started to eat his breakfast, wondering why Dumbledore had decided to call an Order meeting at 10 am, in the middle of the week. And just after the full moon, too.

It is to be said that Dumbledore had told Remus that if he was feeling too tired or if he was in a bad mood, there was no need to come. Of course, being tired or in a bad mood wasn't going to keep Remus Lupin from going to an Order meeting.

No, but something else might. Nymphadora Tonks. Every time they met they would start talking politely but soon the conversation would turn into the usual confrontation.

He knew that she loved him. But she couldn't know that he loved her. It would only make things worse. He was an old and poor man of thirty-five. Not to mention that there was the slight fact that he was a werewolf. She, however, was a young, sweet, attractive young woman of twenty-two.

Thirty-five and twenty-two? Those two numbers didn't go well together. Of course, he was the only one to think that… He had talked to Sirius about it, and he knew that Molly had convinced Tonks to tell her what was wrong. After that, both Mrs. Weasley and Padfoot had tried to make him "come back to his senses". They had told him that he was only a werewolf thirteen times a year, that thirty-five wasn't old at all and that money was no object.

But Remus wouldn't let go.

Thirteen times a year, he would be a danger to the love of his life. Thirty-five wasn't an old age, he knew that, but he, himself, was old. His condition and his life experiences had made him older than the official numbers on his birth certificate. As for money being no object? He simply wouldn't believe that. Everybody needed a home to live in, food to eat and clothes to wear. And those were paid for with money.

At nine in the morning, Remus decided he wouldn't go to the meeting. After all, he had just suffered through a bad night.

At 9:15, he changed his mind. He couldn't miss an Order meeting because he was afraid to face Nymphadora.

At 9:40, just as he was about to leave, he remembered their last confrontation and shuddered. He simply couldn't go.

But then again…

* * * * *

Tonks was walking down the still and silent street toward Grimmauld Place. She hadn't felt like Apperating; no, she needed to walk, to feel the cold wind on her skin. She sighed as she arrived in front of the door, trying to open it but finding it locked. She knocked softly. A few seconds later, the door opened and Sirius was standing in front of her, looking slightly angry, but his face lightened up at the sight of her and he smiled.

"Hello, Tonksie," said Sirius as he closed the door behind her and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you came, I didn't think you would."

"What made you think that?" asked Tonks.

Sirius only stared at her for a moment and then turned into the kitchen. Tonks didn't need an answer to her question anyway. She knew too well why he had thought that she wouldn't come.

The last Order meeting had ended up with Remus leaving, Tonks crying and everybody else staring at their shoes, feeling very uncomfortable. With a sigh, Tonks proceeded to the kitchen too.

But, then again, tradition is tradition. She tripped over the troll leg umbrella stand and, soon after she had landed on the floor, Mrs. Black's screams and insults filled the house. Tonks stayed on the floor, her forehead against the rug, blushing and cursing herself.

"Miss Nymphadora, if you would be so kind to come in the kitchen, the meeting is about to begin," said a softly amused voice.

Tonks looked up and saw Dumbledore's blue, twinkling eyes. She quickly got back to her feet and blushed again as she followed him in the kitchen and sat beside Sirius.

The meeting began, but there wasn't much to say. The Ministry was still denying Voldemorts return and Harry was safe at Hogwarts. Dumbledore was talking with Kingsley and Tonks was falling asleep, when she heard a little knock on the kitchen door. All eyes turned to Remus who was standing in the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late," he said simply.

He was looking very sick and tired. Tonks quickly looked away and examined her nails with a fake attention until Dumbledore started talking again. She looked up and noticed that Remus had sat on the only chair left in the room – right in front of her. Her eyes, filled with pain, met his, filled with sadness. The eyes, or so they say, are the mirror of the soul … and his seemed to be saying, "I'm so sorry Nymphadora … please forgive me."

Tonks whined silently and looked away, feeling tears coming to her eyes.

I will not cry again, I will not cry again… Come on, Tonks, this isn't the end of the world...

Tonks bit her bottom lip and kicked herself mentally. At the end of the meeting, she left without saying goodbye to anyone and Apperated back home, where she finally let her tears out.

* * * * * *

Remus watched Tonks rushing out of the room and sighed. It's for her own good, he thought, but it wasn't even convincing himself anymore. How much longer was he going to hurt both of them? After everybody left, Sirius rushed to his mother's old bedroom, saying that he had to feed Buckbeak.

Remus was left alone. He took his head in his hands and sighed when he heard the little cough coming from the door. Looking up, he saw Dumbledore looking at him with kind eyes. He came closer and sat in front of Remus, where Tonks had been sitting earlier.

"Remus, you don't seem too well lately. And," he added as Remus started to speak, "I do know that it is not because of the full moon."

Remus only sighed and stared at his hands on the table, trailing his eyes down the scars.

"Would this perhaps – correct me if I'm wrong, of course – have something to do with young Nymphadora?"

"You said it yourself, sir," said Remus with a sad smile "Young Nymphadora. Too young…"

"Nonsense," said Dumbledore. "Miss Tonks is twenty-two years old, old enough to know what she wants. And she wants you, Remus."

"She's too young," said Remus stubbornly. "Too young to see the consequences of her choices. She wants me because she's-"

"In love," said Dumbledore, interrupting Remus. "She is in love."

"Then she's crazy."

"Indeed, no. Is it so terrible to fall in love with a man when you're a young woman?"

"With a man, no. But with a werewolf, yes."

"Nymphadora already knows your condition, Remus. And she has accepted it long ago."

"She's blind to the danger, sir," Remus shook his head stubbornly.

"And weren't James and Sirius blind to the danger too, when they accompanied you on full moons?" His eyes twinkled maddeningly.

"How did you-" began Remus, astonished.

"This is not important," said Dumbledore, smiling. "The important thing is that those young men were aware of the danger, but they went anyway so that you, Remus, would suffer less."

"They weren't aware of the danger, sir. And I wasn't either. Countless were the times they risked their life for me, and I'm not proud of it," Remus said sheepishly.  
"Maybe they weren't aware of the danger, but Nymphadora is. And with the Wolfsbane potion, the danger isn't what is was any longer," he admonished.

"I'm poor… I don't have any money, nor any job," mumbled Remus, trying his last argument.

"Money doesn't matter in love. An even if it did, Miss Tonks is a respected and brilliant Auror who works at the Ministry of Magic." For one brief second, Remus could have sworn he saw the old man roll his eyes.

Dumbledore got up and walked toward the door, leaving Remus to his thoughts. Then, as he was about to leave, he spun slowly around and faced Remus directly.

"Love is a blessing, Remus. How much longer are you going to inflict yourself this pain?"

He walked toward the entrance door and finally left. Remus stared in front of him, his eyes unreadable, when they fell on the calendar hanging on the wall. He noticed the date and a smile illuminated his face.

* * * * * *

In her little flat, Tonks had cried herself to sleep on her couch, tightening her blanket around her small body. She woke up about two hours later; yawning and stretching, she rubbed her eyes and opened them.

First, her eyes fell on the small living room table, which was covered with the petals of red roses. She looked at her body and jumped in surprise. Just like the small table, hundreds of rose petals, pink this time, were lying on her blanket and body.

She quickly got up and felt something soft, like silk, under her bare feet as they touched the floor. A bit scared, she looked down and breathed a sigh of relief. Petals, again. But this time, they hadn't been thrown there just to be pretty. They were taking the form of a small path.

Tonks started to follow it and then stopped and started to laugh. She was following a path made of white rose petals. As she was laughing, she looked to the floor and noticed something else. A single red rose. She bent down and scooped it up, noticing another one, lying at about three feet from her. And then another and another.

Pink. Red. White. Pink. Red. White. Pink.

When Tonks finally arrived to her bedroom, and the end of the path, her arms were full of roses. She hadn't counted them, but from the huge bundle, it looked to be nearly fifty flowers. She dropped them on her bed, which was covered with petals too, and sat down with a happy sigh.

She looked to her bedside table and smiled. She opened the red, heart shaped box. Chocolate, of course.

"Did you know that chocolate is an aphrodisiac?" said a voice from behind her.

Tonks jumped in surprise, got back on her feet and turned around, slightly embarrassed. She was a trained Auror, for Merlin's sake!

Remus was looking at her sheepishly, giving her another handful of roses. Tonks didn't really know what to say, so she smiled sweetly, went to him and took the flowers he was handing her.

"Are you suggesting something?" she asked teasingly.

"Why, of course not. I just thought you ought to know," he grinned.

Tonks kissed him softly on the cheek and put the flowers with the other ones. He came closer to her.

"Count them. There are seventy-five."

"Seventy-five? Why?" asked Tonks, puzzled.

"It's the number of times I broke your heart," he whispered in her ear.

She looked at her feet, feeling extraordinarily uncomfortable. He pushed the roses away and sat on her bed. Then he took her hand and kissed it. She sat besides him, her heart beating faster than ever.

"Tonks … I've been an idiot … I know it, and I'm sorry. I- I know I can't say anything to repair the damage I've done, but…"

"Yes you can," whispered Tonks. "Say you love me."

Remus looked in her big starry eyes, full of hope. He softly caressed her cheek and played with a lock of her bright pink hair for a second. He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the forehead … then on the tip of her nose.

His lips touched her cheek lightly before running down her neck. Tonks shivered. She couldn't take this anymore. She pressed her body against his and kissed him passionately, without restraining herself. She had waited so long for this; she wasn't going to wait any longer. She threaded her arms around his body, not wanting to let go, as if she was hanging from the edge of a cliff and he was the only thing keeping her from falling.

His hands were running down her back, stopping on her hips and then going back up to her shoulders and her neck. His fingers felt like fire on her skin, leaving a mark everywhere they passed. Her legs became very weak and, before she knew it, she had fallen on the floor, dragging Remus with her in her fall. Remus' face was against the floor and his shoulders were shaking madly. Tonks bit her bottom lip and blushed.

"I'm so sorry, Remus" she mumbled.

Remus' shoulders were still shaking, but then he threw his head backward and roared with laughter. At first, Tonks stared at him, astonished, but then she started laughing too.

"Sorry, I'm so clumsy," said Tonks, blushing, when they had stopped laughing.

"Are you crazy?" asked Remus, playing with a lock of her hair again. "That's one of the things I love most about you."

Remus caressed her cheek and kissed her again. She broke away after only a few tantalizing moments and looked him straight in his sweet, brown eyes.

"Remus, I love you."

"I love you too, Nymphadora" he whispered.

Tonks backed up and looked at her shaking hands.

"Are you sure about this" she asked, looking away uncertainly.

"Tonks, are you serious? How can you doubt this," said Remus. He took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "Nymphadora, would a man give anybody that many roses unless he was sure of his love for that person?" he said with a smile.

Tonks laughed and then sighed. Remus pulled her closer to him.

"Nymphadora, I love you. This isn't a joke, I promise you … do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do," whispered Tonks breathlessly.

_Tonks was running in the Forbidden Forest again. But this time, she knew where she was going … she knew why she was running. She was looking for someone. When she finally found him, she stopped running and smiled. She fell on her knees and extended her arm, presenting her hand. The wolf came closer to her, a bit frightened at first. He sniffed her fingers and looked up at her … he didn't look scared this time. In fact, he looked almost … happy. She patted him on the head and scratched him behind the ear, laughing joyfully._

* * * * * *

Remus woke up in his bed, feeling the hot light of the sun on his skin, even though the beginning of February had been quite cold. He felt around sleepily; there was nobody there. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. Empty.

Remus got up and walked toward the kitchen. No one in there either, but the table was already set and the breakfast was served. He looked around again.

"Nymphadora?" he called.

She came out of the bathroom, still wearing her pink pajamas, her pink hair deliciously rumpled.

"Morning, darling," she yawned and kissed him softly. She returned to the bedroom and came out a minute later, holding a heart-shaped box of chocolates, smiling teasingly. She gave it to him and he smiled at her, as he took out a little box out of his pocket.

"Happy Valentine's day," she said, before he handed the box to her.

She opened it and gasped. Then, as he tied the little golden necklace around her pale neck, he kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear.

"Happy anniversary, my love."

A/N: _IN ORDER TO KEEP WRITING, AUTHORS RELY ON THE DONATIONS OF REVIEWS FROM THE READERS. IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY, (OR EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T) PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY _

_IT IS MOST APPRECIATED _

_GANDUEAN-VAMPIRESS_


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